Sehun chuckles slightly as he reads Minseok’s message, causing Zitao and Chanyeol to look curiously towards him.

“Looks like someone’s on a date.”  Sehun says just as Yunho enters the shop, carrying a box of pizza.

“Oh, so it looks like Minseok’s not going to come to work after all.  Where are the girls?”  Yunho announces as he enters the shop.

“In the back, resting.  They’ve been working really hard this morning.”  Chanyeol asks.  “Who’s Minseok with and why is he not here today?”

“Luhan.  I just don’t know what they’re doing.”  Sehun replies.

“Luhan called me this morning to say that Minseok’s going to be late, and to try to convince me to tell Minseok that he needs rest and that he doesn’t have to come to work at all.”  Yunho explains just as the three girls arrive from the back.  “I also know that the two of them really miss each other so I just let it go.  I just don’t know what they’re doing right now, though.”

“Come on, Minseok!  It’s snow!”  Luhan exclaims, laughing hard and running around like a kid.  They’re currently at a playground, enjoying the snow.  Or, more like Luhan enjoying the snow, and Minseok sullenly sitting on a swing.  They decided to spend the rest of the afternoon there after they spent another two hours going through shops and buying more clothes.  Luhan forced Minseok to wear one of the coats, gloves, and scarves they bought a while ago to make sure that he’ll be warm, but Minseok is still shivering.

“Luhan, you know that I have a low cold threshold!”  Minseok whines, trying desperately to warm himself up.  Ever since he’s a kid, he’s always had trouble staying outdoors during the cold weather.  He actually can’t remember how he survived a whole winter season homeless, and doesn’t really want to remember it at all.

Luhan doesn’t reply, so Minseok focuses on warming himself.  They’ve been there for two hours now, and Minseok’s really cold.  Suddenly, he feels something cold hit his back, so he turns around, only to be greeted by a snowball to the stomach and a laughing Luhan.

“Luhan, what the hell?!”  He says, then grabs a handful of snow and shapes it into a ball, then throwing it to Luhan’s general direction.  It manages to graze the other’s arm, and before they know it, they’re having a full-blown snowball fight.

Minseok, who’s suddenly feeling very woozy, gets another hit, this time somewhere near the chest.  It hurts, Minseok thinks, but he says nothing as he tries to hit Luhan again with another snowball.  He feels his vision blurring, so the snowball ended up very far from Luhan’s location, causing the other to laugh.

“Losing your touch, Kim?!”  Luhan replies and Minseok can’t focus.  What’s happening to me?

Before he knows it, Luhan’s shaping another ball, throwing it at him moments later.  He barely registers Luhan’s call of, “Think fast, Min”, before the ball hits him square on the chest.  He feels like he can’t breathe when he felt the impact, and he struggles for air as he falls to the snow-covered ground.  He feels the dark creeping up his vision and he panics, thinking, No, I can’t fall asleep.  I’ll die if I do so.  But he’s losing consciousness already, and it’s too late to think of anything else when he feels his eyelids finally close.

Luhan, on the other hand, doesn’t say anything when Minseok falls down at first.  He just laughs, thinking that he got Minseok pretty good.  But when a couple of seconds pass and Minseok still isn’t getting up, he begins to get worried.  He begins to approach the fallen boy, only to realize that he isn’t moving.  At all.

“Min, what’s wrong?”  Luhan calls out.  “Come on, this isn’t funny.”  He continues when he doesn’t get a response.  Still no response, and that’s enough to cause him to run to the other boy.  He arrives at his side a couple of seconds later, and gasps at the sight before him. 

Minseok’s unconscious and shivering, really badly.  Something twists inside Luhan’s stomach as he gets down on his knees and tries to shake Minseok awake.  “Min, Seokkie, Minseok.”  He tries, gently slapping the boy’s face and getting no response.  His memories flash back to that moment years ago, when Minseok collapsed in their living room, and Luhan’s faced with the same demeanor.  “Minseok, come on, please.  Wake up.”  He tries again, feeling the hot tears forming.  When he gets no response, he lifts Minseok into a hug, placing the other’s face on the crook of his neck.  He then dials Minho’s number, hoping the all-around guy would answer.

“Hey, Luhan.  What can I do for you?”

“Minho!  I need your help, please!  I don’t know what to do!”  Luhan replies, feeling Minseok’s shivers increase.

“Why?  What’s wrong?  Where are you?”

“We’re at the playground just at the outskirts of the city.  I’m with Minseok, and he’s unconscious.  I don’t know what happened, he just passed out when we were in the middle of a snowball fight.  And he’s shivering really badly, and I can’t wake him up.”  Luhan replies, desperate.

“.  It’s probably because of the cold; he’s always had a low cold threshold.  You have to get him out of the cold, Luhan.  Get him into the car if you have yours with you, or anywhere warm, and turn on the heater.  Then, take off his damp clothes and then lay down with him and embrace him, keep him as close as possible to warm him up.  Wrap yourselves in the blanket, too.  I’ll be there and drive you guys home, okay?”

“Okay, just, get here fast.  Please.”  Luhan replies then ends the call and then carries Minseok back to the car.  He opens to door to the backseat and gets both of them in, laying Minseok down on the seats.  He then starts the engine and turns on the heater, before he proceeds to take off Minseok’s coat, hoodie, gloves, and scarf.  Then, he takes off his own winter clothing and lies down beside Minseok, hugging the younger boy and keeping him as close as possible, barely noticing how cold the other boy is.

“Minseok, I’m sorry, please wake up.”  Luhan pleads, looking at Minseok’s face, willing his eyes to open.  But they don’t and it just makes Luhan want to cry.  “I should’ve listened to you, please wake up.”  Minseok shivers, and Luhan sits up and starts to look for the pillow and blanket.  He locates them, and slides the pillow under Minseok’s head before he lies back down, then wrapping their bodies using the blanket.  They’re now closely bound, in a way, and Luhan just snuggles closer to Minseok, their lips almost touching.  He thumbs Minseok’s cheek, finally noticing how cold the other’s skin is, and tightens his grip around the other boy’s waist.  He can feel Minseok’s chest pressed against his, and he can feel the other’s heart beating fast.  Too fast actually, too fast for comfort.  Luhan once again begins to panic and tries to wake Minseok again.

“Minseok, come on, wake up.  I already said I’m sorry, so please.”  The rest of his sentence was engulfed by a small sob, as he kisses the area near Minseok’s lips desperately. 

They just stay like that for some time, until Luhan hears the front door open and sees Minho take the driver’s seat.  “Minho!  Please hurry!”  Luhan pleads, and Minho takes in the sight before him before he turns back and maneuvers the SUV.

“Okay, don’t worry, we’re going back home.  You did a good job, by the way.  I’m sure he’ll be okay.”  Minho says, hoping to calm down his boss.

“His heart was beating really fast, Minho.  And he was so cold.  Gosh, I should’ve listened.”  Luhan says as he tightens his grip on Minseok once again.  This time, Minseok’s eyelids flutter open, showing his brown orbs that are slightly glazed over.

“Minseok?!”  Luhan exclaims as he sees the other’s eyes open.  “Are you okay, Minseok?  Please say something.”

“Mmmph…” Minseok just replies, then groans, before his eyes close once again, going back to sleep.  Luhan just Minseok’s cheek softly, before he kisses the tip of the other’s nose.

They arrive at the penthouse later, and they rush Minseok upstairs.  Luckily, they met no one along the way, so no questions were asked.  They then arrived to an empty house, Luhan figuring that maybe Yixing had an important meeting to go to, so he just rushes Minseok to his original room.  He lays the other down on the bed before he turns on the room’s heater and starts rummaging for some clothes.  He finds nothing and figures that Minseok must’ve taken all of his pajamas to the apartment, so he proceeds to look for some of his own pajamas.  He finds a beige one, and proceeds to take off Minseok’s own clothing, mentally making a note to wash them later.  Luhan was in the middle of buttoning up the shirt when Minho enters the room, thermometer and hot compresses in hand.

“Here, you can use these to warm him up further.  And go check his temp, heart rate, and breathing, okay?  Just to make sure.  Oh, and there’s a note for you from Yixing, it’s on the fridge door.”  Minho announces and Luhan nods as he finishes buttoning up Minseok’s shirt.  Minseok sighs, and Luhan takes hold of his hand.

“Can you take care of him first?  I’ll just go and check Yixing’s note.”  Luhan asks and Minho agrees, taking Luhan’s place and placing the thermometer to Minseok’s armpit to check his temperature.  Luhan goes to the kitchen and checks out the note, realizing that Yixing went to another party… again, and that he shouldn’t wait up for him.  Luhan sighs, and takes Minseok’s clothes to the washing machine and starts it before he returns to Minseok’s room.

“He’ll be fine now.  His temperature’s returning to normal, so are his heart rate and breathing.  He doesn’t even need these anymore, just some more rest.  Can you watch and make sure that he’ll be fine?”  Minho asks Luhan once he enters the room.

“Yeah, sure.  Thanks, Minho.  I honestly don’t know what I’ll do without you.”  Luhan says as he and Minho now switch places.  Minho bids him goodbye then leaves, but not before giving Luhan some more reminders just in case something else happens.

Luhan then changes into a pair of black pajamas before he lies down beside Minseok, tucking the blankets around them.  He hugs Minseok’s sleeping form, and whispers soothing words to his ear.  Minseok shifts in his sleep, turning his head to the right slightly so he’s now slightly facing Luhan, and Luhan smiles despite the current situation.  He’s never been this close to Minseok in bed before, and he really likes it.  He likes the feeling of sleeping beside the other boy and the thought of waking up to him.  It seems like it was just hours ago when he did so, and it’s like he can’t get enough.

There are five things that Minseok realizes when he wakes up a few hours after.  First, he’s very warm and surrounded by really soft sheets.  Second, the bed and pillow is soft and fluffy, so he’s probably not home.  Third, his eyelids feel heavy and he feels so sore.  Fourth, there’s someone beside him.  And fifth, that someone is playing with his hair, running his fingers through his locks and ruffling it slightly.  He’s really curious, but he can’t open his eyes so he just groans.

“Min?  Are you awake?  Can you hear me?”  The someone asks, and Minseok thinks the voice is familiar so he struggles to open his eyes.  Once he does, he sees Luhan being illuminated by a small light from the lamp on the bedside drawer.  He takes in his surroundings and realizes that he’s back in his room in Luhan’s penthouse.  “Luhan?”  He manages to croak.  Suddenly, his throat feels very, very sore.

“Yeah, it’s me.  How are you feeling?”  Luhan asks, eyes wide and searching.

“Sore.  What happened?”  Minseok asks ‘cause he seriously doesn’t remember anything.

“You lost consciousness, remember?  Minho said it’s probably because of the cold.  But I don’t really know, I mean, have you been working really hard lately?”

“Yeah, I mean, I’m saving up for something.”  Minseok replies, trying to sit up.  Luhan motions to help him, and after some time, he finally manages to do so.

“You should rest up.  I’ll go get some dinner for you.”  Luhan says as he gets up.

“Dinner?  Just what time is it?”  Minseok asks, suddenly bewildered by the chain of events.

“Around 6 p.m.  Just stay there, okay?  I’ll bring you your food.”  Luhan says and then disappears into the kitchen.  Minseok sinks back into the sheets, relishing the moment.  I’ll just relax while I still can.  I have to go back home later, though.  I can’t leave Bambi alone.  Luhan returns some minutes later, carrying a tray.  He sets in down beside Minseok, who’s lying down once again, and smiles at the younger boy.

“Come on, eat up.  You have to get stronger if you want to survive the winter season.  What are you saving for, anyway?”  Luhan asks, helping Minseok to sit up once again.

“A piano.”  Minseok replies, spooning some soup.  His hands are a bit shaky, so he takes his time in bringing the spoon to his mouth.  Luhan takes note of this, and is immediately worried.

“Do you need help in eating?”  Luhan asks.

“No, thanks.  I can manage.”  Minseok replies before placing the spoon in his mouth.

“So… a piano, huh.”  Luhan says.  “Since when have you been saving up for it?”

“Since last year.  I saw it on Yunho’s shop and I thought that I’d save up for it.  I’m nearing my goal.”

“That’s good to hear.  Do you… speaking of Yunho, do you have to go to work tomorrow?”

“Yeah.  I actually need to go home tonight already, I still need to feed Bambi.”  Minseok says, gulping down some of the tea.

“You need to go home already?  But you’re still weak, I can’t let you stay alone in there!”  Luhan protests, keeping Minseok safe and in his house the only thoughts running through his head this moment.

“Luhan, technically, I won’t be alone ‘cause Bambi’s there, remember?”

“Yeah, but he’s a dog for goodness’ sake!  He can’t talk, let alone call for help if something happens!”

“Luhan, I’ll be fine.  Besides, you can always call.”

“But that’ll be different.  How do I know that you’re not lying?”

“Luhan, I’ll never lie to you.”  Yeah, right.

“Okay, but at least let me drive you to your place, okay?  Oh, and walk you to your room.  I wanna see Bambi again.”

“Okay… but wouldn’t Yixing worry?”

“He’s not home today; he went to this party and will probably be back late.”  Luhan replies with a sigh, rolling his eyes to emphasize the unknown point.

“Luhan, what’s going on?”  Minseok asks, concerned.  “You never really told me why you called me yesterday in the first place.”

“Nothing… it’s just.  Yixing has been weird lately.  Just, you know, I might be paranoid or something.”  Luhan replies dejectedly.

“Are you saying Yixing might be cheating on you?”

“Might be.  Maybe, like I said, I’m just being paranoid.”

“Do you need me to talk to Yixing?”  Minseok asks once he finishes his dinner.  He’s seriously considering murdering Yixing right now.  How can he do that to Luhan?

“No, not really.  I’m fine, okay?  Let’s get you home, okay?”  Luhan says as he helps Minseok up.  He tells the younger boy to not bother changing to his normal clothes anymore; he’ll just lend him a blanket to cover his pajamas.  They make it to the car, Luhan supporting Minseok whose legs are still wobbly, and in a few minutes they’re already on their way.

Minseok sleeps through the whole ride and that makes Luhan so much more concerned than he already is.  He desperately wants to drive back home and lock Minseok in there to make sure that he’ll be fine, but he knows that he can’t do that.  Minseok’s life doesn’t revolve around him, after all; he also has his own problems to fix.  They arrive at the address that Minseok gave Luhan before he fell asleep and Luhan is shocked speechless for the second time this week.

He knows that the apartment that Minseok’s staying in is not really that luxurious, but this?!  This is way too un-luxurious.  It’s small, and looks unsafe, and some windows are broken and Luhan doesn’t really know how someone could live in there.  He’s stuck between waking up Minseok or just driving back home and ordering Minho to take Minseok’s things back to the penthouse.  But before he can settle with a decision, Minseok wakes and realizes that they’re already at their destination.

“Oh, thanks for the ride, Han.”  Minseok says as he takes off the blanket and starts to get out of the car, but a hand on his arm stops him.

“Don’t… I’ll walk you to your room.”  Luhan says and gets out of the car.  The walk to Minseok’s room is quiet, Luhan just continuing to take in the bad condition of this apartment and Minseok doing his best not to cry.  He hadn’t meant for anyone else aside from Changmin and Minho to find out about this place, but here’s Luhan, walking him to his room.  They finally arrive in front of Minseok’s door, and he turns to Luhan only to see the other boy staring at him in shock.

“Okay, so… this is me.”  Minseok says, gesturing to the door.  Luhan just nods, all the while looking like he’s going to cry.  “Thanks for everything.”  Minseok says before he unlocks his door.  The cold air hits both of them as Minseok opens his door.  Luhan chances to see the inside of the apartment and is once again frozen in shock.  He sees how small it is, feels how cold it is, and is suddenly very concerned about Minseok.  Before he can stop himself, he’s pushing both of them inside, taking hold of Minseok’s arms and giving him a bone-crushing hug once he shuts the door.

“Minseok, come back, please.”  He says, burying his face on Minseok’s chest.  “You can’t stay here, it’s dangerous.  How the hell can you even live here?”  Luhan asks, hugging the younger boy tighter.  Bambi arrives and brushes up Luhan’s leg, hoping for some warmth.  Luhan looks up a little and sees a broken window, and realizes where the cold air is coming from.

“I’m fine, Han.  I’ve been through worse.”  Minseok says, trying his best not to give in.

“Worse?!  What is worse than this?”  Luhan exclaims, wondering how Minseok can even live through worse when this is probably the worst.

“I’ve been homeless, Luhan.  Trust me, you don’t want to know.”

“Homeless?!  Does… does Changmin know about that?  Does he know about this place?”  Luhan replies, shaking.  Minseok was homeless?  He can’t make any sense out of it.  How can this boy, his best friend, be homeless before?

“Changmin found me on the streets, Luhan.  We just never told you about it because I thought that you’d hate me if you found out.  And yes, Changmin knows about this place… also Minho.”  Minseok replies and Luhan suddenly feels very, very betrayed.  “Do you hate me know?” 

“Hate you?  How the hell can I even hate you, Min?  Even the thought of hating you is unacceptable!”  Luhan replies, thinking of ways on how he can get Minseok to come home.

“Okay.  But you have to go, Luhan, before it gets any darker.”  Minseok replies, pulling away from the hug.  Luhan briefly considers knocking Minseok out and dragging him back to their penthouse while he’s unconscious, but goes against it when Minseok starts to walk away.  He grabs the other’s arm and yanks him back in front of him, before shoving a paper bag to his direction.

“At least take this.  It’s dangerous to go around without proper winter wear, Min.”  Luhan says and Minseok accepts it.

“But how am I going to repay you?”  Minseok asks once he realizes that the bag contains some of the clothes they bought earlier.

“Don’t.  I really bought those for you.  It’s the least I can do to keep you safe.”  Luhan replies, before he heads for the door.  Minseok walks him to it, and they embrace each other before Luhan steps out of the small space.  “I’ll send you the other clothes after I check them again.”

“I’ll visit you in the shop tomorrow.”  Luhan says and Minseok nods in return.

Luhan thinks of the small apartment space that his best friend currently calls his ‘home’ and has the sudden urge to cry.  How can he put Minseok through that?  Oh, and Minseok was homeless?  Oh, and Changmin and Minho know everything?  Yixing wasn’t even back when he got home, and he didn’t bother waiting up for him.  He heads straight for Minseok’s room and lies down on the bed that they previously occupied and falls asleep.

He’s going to have a long chat with Changmin and Minho tomorrow, and he’s going to get some answers.

A/N: Everyone, I don't know what to feel right now.  Just... #stopluhan #savekimminseok

(cr: lovesick)